How long can the coronavirus survive on your clothes and what should you do

Throughout these days of confinement, the Spanish people's concern about being infected grows as much as the number of those infected. Thermometers are possibly one of the most widely used household objects today, as well as bleach and cleaning cloths to disinfect every corner of the house. It is not for less: This global paranoia for keeping everything sanitized has been installed in our lives.

How long does coronavirus last on surfaces? Articles proliferate throughout the network that answer this question. However, the World Health Organization itself has already stated that "It is not known with certainty how long" This pathogen can survive outside our body, since it depends on the humidity conditions of the environment, temperature or the type of surface.

The spread and growth of the virus depends a lot on the environmental conditions: above all, on the temperature and humidity

A study published in January 2020 concluded that this type of virus can live on surfaces such as metal, glass or plastic. up to nine days. In other materials, such as cardboard, they take less time, since they contain more moisture. It should be noted that this analysis does not analyze the specific survival time of the coronavirus that spread in Wuhan City, but of other variants of this virus family.

In any case, the most important thing is that you make sure to keep the most susceptible parts of the house disinfected: knobs, doors, the handle of the refrigerator, the microwave, or light switches and lamps. However, What happens to clothes? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ensures that the coronavirus is transmitted through the airways (from an infected person who coughs or sneezes), rather than from objects that are contaminated.

If someone who lives with you has tested positive, raise concerns when it comes to doing laundry, as well as towels and sheets.

"I suspect that the virus can survive on clothing for about a day," says ‘Health’ magazine. Amesh A. Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security in Maryland. "The spread and growth of the virus depends a lot on the environmental conditions: temperature and humidity," he stresses. In general, the expert does not believe that clothing is "the greatest expansion vehicle" of the coronavirus, although it is true that it is very contagious and it is necessary to carry out the hygiene recommendations to avoid as far as possible that the spread happens.

In this sense, how can we ensure that clothes are free of this type of infectious agents? First, if no one has shown symptoms in your home or been tested and negative, you can calm down and do laundry as often as ever. But if you have been exposed to the outside to a certain extent or have come into contact with other peopleIt may be a good idea to wash your clothes as soon as you get home.

If someone has tested positive and lives with you, increase your worries when it comes to doing laundry, as well as the towels you have been able to use, as well as the sheets. How? The CDC recommends wearing gloves first and foremost when doing laundry, which you should then throw away as soon as you wear them. And right after, don't forget to wash your hands just in case. If you normally prefer to wash clothes by hand or you have to do it this way so as not to spoil the fabric, the best thing is that after having done it you make sure to disinfect your palms and fingers well. And something important: do not shake the clothes, since that way you could spread the viruses through the air.